I think that ham-fistedness breaks cartridges much more frequently than incorrect setup. Incorrect setup might damage the LPs, but only if the tracking weight is grossly incorrect (and tracking weight is the easiest part of setup).
Incorrect alignment and VTA (the hardest parts of setup) will greatly reduce sound quality (end of side distortion and imaging) but are unlikely to result in any damage. You will waste your money on an expensive cartridge if it is not correctly aligned, but I don't think you'll damage it.
One other thing to watch out for is damaging the arm bearings while installing the cartridge and pinching up the mounting bolts. Some arms (Rega) seem relatively immune, where others (Linn) apparently can be easily damaged.
You can learn setup with a $30 cartridge, such as an audio technica AT-95, if you're worried, and have a dealer install an expensive cartridge.
If I were you I'd get the cartridge you want and just be careful, experiment and learn (and budget for a shure balance, and a mirrored protractor at the least).
Incorrect alignment and VTA (the hardest parts of setup) will greatly reduce sound quality (end of side distortion and imaging) but are unlikely to result in any damage. You will waste your money on an expensive cartridge if it is not correctly aligned, but I don't think you'll damage it.
One other thing to watch out for is damaging the arm bearings while installing the cartridge and pinching up the mounting bolts. Some arms (Rega) seem relatively immune, where others (Linn) apparently can be easily damaged.
You can learn setup with a $30 cartridge, such as an audio technica AT-95, if you're worried, and have a dealer install an expensive cartridge.
If I were you I'd get the cartridge you want and just be careful, experiment and learn (and budget for a shure balance, and a mirrored protractor at the least).